VLC for Windows 8

VLC for Windows 8 is a powerful and portable media player and streaming media server.

The VLC media player, often known simply as VLC, is developed by VideoLAN and was first released in 2001. Since the beginning, VLC has been free, cross platform and open source, and the developers have strived to support the full range of multimedia that people consume. The program can play just about anything, including files, discs, streams, webcams and other devices. It also supports most popular audio formats with no codec pack needed, including MP3, MKV and H.264, and if you ever come across a format it doesn’t support, you can usually add support by installing the appropriate codec.

VLC for Windows 8 is a version of VLC that’s specifically designed for the Windows 8 operating system. More specifically, it includes support for the Windows 8 user experience called Metro. At its core, this version is very much the same as any other version of VLC for Windows. Where it differs is that it comes with a modern UI that’s consistent with Metro. This means that the application can switch between desktop mode and tablet mode seamlessly and is well suited for use on a Windows 8 HTPC.

Despite coming with a modern UI by default, this version like all iterations of the VLC media player is highly customizable. Skins allow you to transform the look of the program completely. The software has a built-in skin editor that you can use, but there’s also an active community of users who develop custom skins that you can download and install at no charge. VLC also supports feature customization through extensions. This is one of the most powerful add-on platforms for a media player, and you have many options that allow you to dial in the experience to your tastes in both desktop and Metro mode.

VLC is one of those software tools that you’ll appreciate more with time. It offers an impressive feature set, but many of those features are tucked away so as not to overwhelm new users, but once you’re aware of all these advanced controls, there’s little VLC won’t let you do. You can record video, grab screenshots, increase volume beyond the standard 100, manipulate individual audio tracks, have complete control over subtitles and so much more.

Pros

• Portable
• Most codecs supported out of the box
• No ads, spyware or user tracking

Cons

• Buried features
• Oriented toward advanced users